cossacksfandomcom-20200223-history
17th century Pikeman (Cossacks 3)
Background Firing fuse muskets was a very slow process, while the fire was far from being accurate or effective. Therefore pikemen squads were added to musketeer detachments in order to defend them from cavalry charges in open space. On average, pikemen constituted about 30% of the infantry during the Thirty Years War. Pikemen were virtually the last infantry force of European regular armies which was equipped with cuirasses. A pikeman's armour comprised an iron helm, a cuirass with knee-long leg-guards, narrow elbow-long shoulder-guards, and gauntlets with large cuffs. The total armour weight was about 20 kg (45 lb). It could protect from arrows, pistol bullets fired from more than 3-4 m (10-14 ft), and even musket bullets fired from large distances. Pikemen were armed with pikes with a wooden shaft of 5.2-5.8 m (17-19 ft) and swords. Pikemen were very effective in close fight; early in the 17th century, they were used both in attacks and for defence purposes. In 1674, pikes played a significant role in the battle of Enzheim, when German cavalry did not dare to assault Turenne's pikemen square. However, as firearms were developed, the role of pikemen became less significant. Body armour was abolished here and there. Soldiers became more mobile and less expensive. By the end of the 17th century, pikemen were mainly used as defensive units. All European armies gradually refused pikemen, and their number fell considerably. Pikemen became armed with pistols and sometimes muskets. In the 18th century, they use no armour and wear a customary uniform - a broadcloth caftan, a camisole (sometimes of elk or goat leather), trousers, and stockings. When it was cold, they also wore a cloak. Pikemen fought in tight arrays of six files each. Usually they were marshalled in a manner allowing musketeers to retreat behind them, while pikemen could easily form a square formation to protect musketeers from cavalry charges. Later, pikes gave place to bayonets in close fight. Bayonets were surely important in hand-to-hand fight, but by far not as good as pikes. Pikemen were the most battle-worthy infantry for close fighting. Characteristics The 17th century pikeman is often the first unit to be trained in the game. It is a relatively cheap and sturdy melee unit with a longer attack range than sword units. Although pikeman usually do exceptionally well against cavalry, there is no attack or defense bonus in this game. In the early game, pikemen form a solid defense force which can hold itself well both against infantry and cavalry. However, they are weak against ranged units, especially against dragoons because of their higher movement speed. While armored pikemen can reduce bullet damage quite well, their unarmored counterparts fall quickly to enemy gunfire. In the late game, pikemen are usually outclassed against the stronger 18th century units like cuirassiers and grenadiers. It is advisable to additionally train officers and drummers to build formations as they bring a +2 bonus each on attack and defense. Pikemen are also very effective when holding a strategical spot by standing ground as they get a bonus of +7 both for attack and defense. Their long melee range effectively holds off melee attackers and a bullet armor ranging from 7 (Poland, Ottoman pikeman) to 17 (Cosolete) also provides a certain protection against ranged units. 17th century Pikeman (standard) The standard 17th century pikeman comes with a cuirass which protects them quite well, especially against arrows, cannon shots and grapeshot. 17th century Pikeman (Poland) The Polish 17th century pikeman lacks armor, but is in return cheaper and faster to train while having the same attack values. The first 3 upgrades are less effective than the ones for the standard pikeman, but in sum they get a higher defense upgrade in the barracks, partly compensating for not being able to use the blacksmith and academy armor upgrades. In return, the overall upgrade cost is higher compared to the standard pikeman. 17th century Pikeman (Portugal) Portugal's 17th century pikemen have more hitpoints and attack but less armor. They have a slighly lower training time and a higher defense upgrade though. Cosolete (Spain) The Cosolete is the best among all pikemen regarding combat values, though this comes at a cost as they are more expensive and slower to train than the standard pikemen. 17th century Pikeman (Switzerland) The Swiss army was well-known for their highly professional and disciplined pikemen. They have higher attack and armor values than standard Pikemen, but take slightly more time to train. Russian Spearman Russian spearmen are a little weaker than their armored pikemen counterpart, with the same attack stats while having less armor and hitpoints. They also take longer to train. However, the Russian Barracks is much cheaper, which allows to build more of them throughout a match. see also: Ottoman Pikeman Back to Units (Cossacks 3) Category:Units Category:Cossacks 3 Category:Melee units Category:Pikemen